1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus utilizing, for example, an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel a display data processing device incorporated in the display apparatus, and a display data processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat panel displays are widely used in the form of products such as computer displays, portable terminals, and television sets. Although liquid crystal display panels are most widely used at present, they still have the problems of narrow viewing angles and low response speeds which have always been pointed out.
On the contrary, organic EL displays formed using self-emitting elements are regarded as promising display apparatus of next generation to replace liquid crystal displays not only because the problems of viewing angles and response can be solved but also because they can be provided with a small thickness achieved by elimination of a backlight, high brightness, and high contrast.
However, the high power consumption of organic EL displays is still regarded as problematic, although such displays have already been put in practical use.
The suppression of power consumption is regarded as a significant challenge, and this holds true for all kinds of display apparatus.
High image quality and high visibility is another challenge for various kinds of display apparatus.
Means for achieving high image quality and high visibility includes an image processing technique called edge enhancement.
The technique is a common approach toward improved image quality involving a process of enhancing high frequency components of an image to render the entire image with higher acutance. It is considered that improved image quality and visibility is achieved by the technique for the following reasons. One reason is that edges of an image can be rendered with an improved feel of contrast, and another reason enhancement of edges in the positive direction allows the edges to be rendered with improved brightness.
Various proposals have been made in the related art on edge enhancement, improvement of image quality, and suppression of power consumption, including the techniques disclosed in JP-A-2007-221821, JP-A-2007-249436 and JP-A-2006-236159 (Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3, respectively).
According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a histogram of edge components extracted from one display screen is created, and an amount of edge enhancement can be controlled according to the histogram to perform an edge enhancing process in a manner that is appropriate for the state of the image.
According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a gain of an amount of edge enhancement which can be effectively used without exceeding the dynamic range of an image is dynamically calculated from edge components to allow an edge enhancement process to be performed in a manner appropriate for the image.
According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, optimal image processing functions of a display are only enabled while disabling unnecessary image processing functions depending on the application or the operating condition of the display.